IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nobel Peace Prize: International protest action


Veröffentlicht am 08.12.2005 in der Kategorie English Section von Axel Mayer

IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nobel Peace Prize: International protest action


An initiative from Freiburg spread out globally

To the international media

Axel Mayer, BUND Regionalverband, Wilhelmstr. 24a, 79098 Freiburg, Germany


IAEA, IAEO and Nobel Peace Prize: International protest action

On Saturday December 10th, in the guildhall of Oslo, the Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The prize is being highly disputed this year.

Environmental and peace groups are concerned about the double-faced nature of the IAEA. On the one hand, the IAEA is set up to prevent the military use of nuclear power. On the other hand, the IAEA as a UN-organisation encourages the use of nuclear power, which increased the proliferation of nuclear weapons. It is through the policies of the IAEA that countries such as India and Pakistan were able to develop nuclear weapons.

The IAEA is also criticized for deliberately burying the facts surrounding the health impacts of the Chernobyl accident.

"The IAEA must concentrate its work on ending the proliferation of nuclear weapons and on the reduction of atomic arsenals, while at the same time stop promoting nuclear power. Only then it deserves the Nobel

Peace Prize!" said Axel Mayer (from BUND Regionalverband Suedlicher Oberrhein), who initiated the now global protest in Freiburg Germany. Since October 2005, more than 120 Organisations and hundreds of individuals from around the world have joined the action.

"Our protest has already succeeded by having initiated an important debate about the connection between "peaceful" and military use of atomic energy. We can not continue to ignore the link between nuclear power plants and the spread of nuclear weapons."

Axel Mayer